By Aerusha Jenal Lalbahadur
Described as fun, loving and adventurous, Shimona Badal, who is one of the very few female pharmacists who owns her own business in the Phoenix community, has a strong passion for helping those in need. Utilising her many years of experience, Badal hopes she can be a part of many projects and initiatives to further assist the residents and pets of the community. The Phoenix Tabloid recently sat down on the couch with Badal to find out more about her and her passion to help those in need.
Phoenix Tabloid (PT): Tell us more about yourself?
Shimona Badal (SB): My name is Shimona Janine Badal, I am 27 years old. I am from uMhlanga. I have a pet dog, named Scooby and he is my favourite boy in the world. He is a Maltese and he has been in my life for the past 18 years. I dislike bugs and inspects, however I have a major fear for spiders and flying roaches.
PT: Where did you go to school and did you enjoy it?
SB: I attended Crawford for grade 8 and 9 and later went to Danville Park Girls High School. I enjoyed my years at Danville as it was amazing. It was the best experience it was so nice to be in an all-girls school. I had no distractions and was able to focus on my studies.
PT: What are your hobbies?
SB: Besides spending time with my pet dog, Scooby, gym is my favourite activities to do. It has been an amazing journey and I am so glad I started. I found out a while ago I was overweight for my height and my health wasn’t in the best shape so I decided to make a difference in the way I do things and since then I haven’t looked back. I am proud to say that my PR for the leg press machine is currently 240kg. I love weight lifting.
PT: Where does your passion for the medical field stem from?
SB: It stemmed from my mother. She is also a pharmacists and growing up I saw the way she did things and I figured that if she is going it then so can I. And I really enjoyed it, however I didn’t like working for another person. I found that when I owned my own practice this is where I needed to be and I can now actually help people in my very own community.
PT: Tell us about your family
SB: My husband and I have been married for a year. We dated for around 7 years. I have no children at the moment but I do consider my dog as my baby. I would say however my family and I are very competitive and we love to play 30 seconds. My sister-in-law, sister and I are the best team we always win, however my husband and brother-in-law’s will say otherwise.
PT: Tell us about your journey as a Pharmacist
SB: In 2018 I graduated from Rhodes in Eastern Cape, with a degree in pharmacy, I did my internship and community service in Cape Town. I moved back down to Durban at the very start of the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was extremely hard to find a permanent job, until I heard about this place. So I decided to take a shot and see how it goes. There are very few female pharmacist in the industry who own their own practice, especially in my age range. So I’m just taking it day by day, if we win, we win if we don’t, then its okay we gave it shot.
PT: What is your advice for women who want to get into the healthcare field?
SB: Being a women in healthcare is very hard as it is so saturated with males, however the quality of young women who are entering this field is absolutely incredible but the problem is that we are not given a chance to survive in such a harsh world. So I think as a woman in this field you need to be strong, you need to promote yourself as well as other women who are in the field with you. You have to let people know that you are good enough and that you can make a difference in society in every possible way.
PT: Who is the one person you wish to meet?
SB: I am a Harry Potter fan, so I would love to meet Emma Watson as she has been doing incredible things for women empowerment. She is someone that I would love to meet. She is knowledgeable and seems like a good person as well.
PT: What is one moment you would want to relive?
SB: It would definitely be my wedding, it was a fairy tale and a dream come true. It was traditional from the venue to our outfits we just had the best time and I don’t mind reliving it again.
PT: What is your advice for women who are currently struggling in their life?
SB: family is important but your mental health is more important, don’t bring yourself down to make others feel better. So you do what you need to do to be okay because you could be all that you have Make sure that whatever you are doing in your life has passion behind it. As long as you love what you do it is going to be amazing.
PT: What is your favourite type of music?
SB: I enjoy listening to Chain-smokers. I love music that makes me dance and sing. I went to see them at Ultra and it was so nice to see them preform.
PT: If you had a choice, would you stay oversees or in SA?
SB: I would choose SA. It is my home I grew up here. It’s not the best at times but every country has its issues. South Africa is one of the nicest places to live in, places like Cape Town is amazing.
